The Trap Set will always be available for free, but we rely on donations from our listeners.

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Welcome to the Trap Set, where each week we explore the lives of drummers.

I want to play something for you.

I want to be a holy man

I want to kill your pain with a wave of my hand

I want to be the president

I want to sign away you're dead with the stroke of my pen

so don't tell me that I can never be like him.

You're saying nothing to stay the same way it's been.

You're hearing Be Like Him by The Bell Brigade,

featuring my guest Barbara Gruska on drums.

Barbara was born in Los Angeles to a musical family, and in 2008, she co-founded the Bell Brigade with her younger brother Ethan.

While Barbara's drumming style is strongly rooted in jazz,

she harnesses her considerable facility to create tastefully restrained backbeats

that are both viscerally musical and intellectually exciting.

Her role in the Bell Brigade isn't limited to drumming as she collaborates with her brother on every part of the musical process,

from singing to composing, to arranging.

Aside from her work with the Bell Brigade, Barbara's diverse list of collaborators includes Jenny Lewis, Inara George, and Larry Goldings.

She's currently working on her solo project.

And now our conversation with Barbara Gruska.

...